Chances
by vertigoSWAY
Summary: Three-shot. HBP and beyond. Afraid to love beyond what I can lose when it comes to you/You gotta cry before you sing/No matter how it feels today. RLNT, Teddy
1. Five

**Half-Blood Prince. Between the Hospital scene with Bill and Dumbledore's funeral.

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_-__Afraid to love beyond what I can lose when it comes to you_

Nymphadora Tonks had her hand raised, poised to knock on the looming door in front of her. Her _Lumos_-illuminated wand drew much attention from the ungrateful portraits that were trying to catch a wink of sleep. However, their hisses and jeers were not the subject of her uneasiness. It was the door. In all respect, it was just a door. It didn't hold any nasty hexes or jinxes or charms. Just a wooden door with a protective locking charm. Silently, Tonks debated if she should finally knock when a nearby portrait finally hissed out a venomous "Put that light out and get back to bed missy!"

Deciding she wasn't strong enough, Tonks whispered "Nox," extinguishing her light and turning on her heel to escape back to her own guest room at Hogwarts. But of course, that troubling door opened before she could slip away. There, in that narrow doorway, stood Remus Lupin, who appeared rather spent and tired. His half-open eyes added to the aging look of his wrinkles and graying, disheveled hair.

Tonks stuttered. "H-How'd you know I was here?"

Remus pointed in the general direction of his ears. "I –heard you. A week after. Generally… you know…" He let himself trail off, embarrassment evident in the way he ruffled the hair on the back of his head. The werewolf-wizard nodded for Tonks to come in.

"Oh, I should be going," she refused, but Remus insisted, nodding through the doorway. The witch relented and strode into the room. "I'm sorry about what happened at Pomfrey's," she apologized. "I shouldn't have put you in the spotlight."

Remus chuckled good-naturedly, scratching the back of his neck. "Only you would apologize for something like that Tonks," he smiled. "Others would have no guilt whatsoever to yell at me again."

Tonks managed a feeble smile, nothing compared to the one that adorned Remus's face. To her, his words only meant that she had fallen deeper than she thought. "Well, I really should be going," she insisted. "I only came to apologize. Besides, you look like you'd do with some rest."

She was halfway to the door when Remus said, "Nymphadora…" The Metamorphagus's hair, which had returned to its bubble-gum pink blended into a soft mousy brown, instead of the angry scarlet it put on whenever anyone called her by her given name. If she had turned around sooner, she would have caught the small, fleeting, twitch-of-a-smile on the corners of Remus's mouth.

"Yes?" she asked casually, turning around and watching as the man approached her.

"I know I haven't been exactly good about this," he admitted with a deep sigh. Tonks nodded in understanding, all of a sudden even more eager to get away. "You're a brave, charming woman. An excellent Auror, a charming character. And you deserve so much more than me. Someone who could give you the world and beyond that." Tonks nodded again, adding a dazzling smile to the mix. She'd heard words like these before. Christmas Day, and before that. Whenever Remus tried to push her away.

"I'm fine Remus," she assured with her false and cheery disposition. Leaning in, she gave a small peck on his cheek –a friendly exchange. "Get some sleep for tomorrow."

Once again she turned to leave but Remus caught her hand, spinning her around. "If you're going to do it, do it properly," he scolded, stepping once pace closer. Tonks squirmed subtly, her breath hitching in her throat as the wizard leaned in, lips meeting hers.

When Remus pulled away slowly, Tonks joked, "What happened to old, poor and dangerous?" Remus refused to meet her eyes, messing with the hairs at the back of his neck again. His usual composed demeanor had been replaced by a flustered smile. Feeling slightly braver, Tonks took his face her hands and emitted a real laugh. It was a sound that hadn't come from her in months. "Alright?" she questioned.

"But this doesn't change anything," Remus immediately blurted out, ignoring her question. "No strings and it doesn't mean that this'll las-"

"I know," Tonks interrupted with a soft smile. She was still caressing his face. "But it'll be nice to know that we gave it a chance nevertheless."

Remus Lupin's face slowly covered Tonks's. "Stay tonight?" he ventured.


	2. For

_-__You gotta cry before you sing_

Andromeda Tonks never really fancied Remus John Lupin. While she was glad that her daughter was happy with the man and that the man was equally content with Nymphadora, her daughter could have done a lot better. Then again, they were in the midst of the massive Second Great Wizarding War. You take what you can get don't you?

Of course that philosophy went down the drain when she found out that she was expecting a grandchild. There was nothing wrong with that, if it weren't for the fact that Lupin had totally freaked out, locked himself for hours afterwards and promptly Disapparated out of his room that evening.

Nymphadora was a mess, although she didn't dare show it. But Andromeda knew, in the early hours of the morning, the witch would sit by her empty bedside and stay awake until sunrise. Nymphadora would never admit it, but she cried some of those times during that wretched week. The drying tear tracks were enough evidence. Ted was more blatant about his disapproval but Andromeda kept quiet. Her daughter should be given the chance to grieve quietly first.

Lupin came back eventually, after seven days. Apparated, much like a gentlemen, right onto the front step; Andromeda was glad that he had the respect not to let himself back into the house. The moment Nymphadora opened the door, she leaped into his tired arms. Tears collected in the corners of Lupin's eyes, the ghost of 12 Grimmauld Place written all over his face. The ghost of a rather painful argument. The couple retreated into the upstairs room and Andromeda, despite her not-exact fondness of the werewolf-wizard, knew that through all their mistakes and follies, the two would make it out okay.


	3. Fighting

_-__No matter how it feels today_

Teddy Lupin never knew his parents; his grandmother never said much either seeing as how he spent most of his time at his "Uncle Harry's" house. He knew they died when he was just a baby, died in battle, in a war that was now a legend in the wizarding world –a myth in the Muggle society.

He remembered the day that Uncle Harry had fought with Grandma Andromeda. He was listening through the door before the sharp shouts and yells were muffled by a mysterious buzzing noise. But he knew they were talking about his parents.

Teddy often had dreams, in which his hair was a mild brown and the full moon shone brightly and beautifully onto the grounds of Hogwarts, just outside the Whomping Willow. He'd been near that tree in real life before. Wasn't pretty if you got caught in its branches. But in his dream, the tree was frozen just for him. And there was this woman with the wildest hair –bubble gum pink. And a man. Sometimes it was a man, sometimes it looked like a wolf. The wolf would nuzzle him and lick his fingers. When Teddy was young, he found this extremely cute but as he grew older, he found it rather puzzling and a bit embarrassing.

Then one day, when he went over for dinner at the Potter's, Harry had taken him aside and Teddy blurted out the dream. A flicker of reminisce and hurt flashed across the man's face and he started to explain about his own past. The Wizarding War, Lord Voldemort, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. Some of the bravest people he'd even known, the best people he'd even known.

Harry spun the tale about his own third year at Hogwarts, about the werewolf and Sirius Black. Fifth year and the Order of the Phoenix. His parents' rather complicated romantic life, Remus's fit when he realized he was having a baby boy. His post-ecstasy and offer to Harry of being the godfather. The obvious surprise of the request.

Teddy couldn't feel any more sorrowful. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. The two most brilliant people in the world –and he didn't even get to know them.


End file.
